Category: Die Cutting

DT Spotlight: Tamara Tripodi

Today I’d like to introduce you to the super talented and beautiful Tamara Tripodi. Thank you, Tamara, for being our Design Team Coordinator and for all your hard work keeping us on task and organized.

Hey all! My name is Tamara! I live in southern California with my hubby and three children ages 8, 6 and 3. You can find me at happylifecraftywife.com or on Facebook HERE.
Q: How long have you been paper crafting?
A little over a year.I bought a Cricut Expression back in July 2010 and never really used it to make anything until sometime near October. Been non-stop ever since!
Q: What made you start paper crafting?
Impulse purchase, lol. I bought a Cricut not really knowing what all it did, I just knew I HAD to have it.
Q: What is your favorite type of paper crafting project to make?
Anything 3D! I LOVE seeing what I can ‘build’ from paper!
Q: What is your ‘must have’ paper crafting tool?
My cutting machines, of course! I am also really loving my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio tools! So fun!
Q: What inspires you most?
Paper! The patterns and designs on paper really get my creative juices flowing!
Q: What are some of your favorite colors to work with?
Hmm.. Well, I do like bright and happy colors… but I also love anything ‘vintage’ looking. Really depends on my mood and what I have in front of me at the time.
Q: What is your favorite type of embellishment?
Crinkle ribbon! And like I mentioned before, my shape studio tools to make my own epoxy shapes!
Q: What other crafty things do you enjoy?
Sewing.. although I don’t do it nearly as much as I use to. I use to sell pretty little girls dresses, but just got burnt out on all the orders. I also like to make vintage inspired hair pretties with felt, flowers, beads, etc.
Q: What are some of your other hobbies and passions?
I enjpy photography and ran a photography business for several years… I really miss it some days! I also LOVE baking and decorating cookies, cakes, cupcakes.. I make a lot of treat bags and boxes because I use them! I like gifting yummy homemade treats and my kids really like helping.
Thank you so much for reading a bit about me!
I look forward to working with Lori and creating little masterpieces with her fun files and gorgeous papers!

DT Spotlight: Krissy Clark

Happy Halloween! This week I’d like to formally introduce you to my Design Team members. I’ll be spotlighting one member each day this week. Make sure you drop in so you can meet all the ladies and leave them your comments. You’ll get to read some fun facts and get to know them better.

Our first spotlight is the lovely Krissy Clark.

Hi!  I am Krissy Clark McKee.  I live deep in the heart of suburbia right outside of Houston, Texas.  My husband and I have a blended Brady Bunch family of six kids (boy, girl, boy, girl, boy, girl).  Luckily all but the youngest two are out of the house and self-sufficient, except occasionally during dinner time.  Our blended family extends to our family pets, which currently include 4 ankle-biting dogs, 2 cats whose greatest desire is to figure out how to open the pantry door, and a pet rat (yes, you did read that correctly)!  I drink entirely too much coffee and think Diet Dr. Pepper is one of man’s greatest inventions!

Blog address:

Q: How long have you been paper crafting?
April 2009 – so about two and a half years.
Q: What made you start paper crafting?
I quit my job because my husband had a 2 year work assignment in another country.  A co-worker of mine talked about scrapbooking all the time so when I knew I would be staying home, I bought a paper crafting magazine to see what the fuss was all about.  I was intrigued by what I saw and decided to give it a try.  I have been hooked ever since!
Q: What is your favorite type of paper crafting project to make?
My favorite project is currently making mini-albums.  To me, they are little handheld pieces of art – and they make wonderful gifts!
Q: What is your ‘must have’ paper crafting tool?
This is such a HARD question!  Can I cheat and say everything on my work table?  No?  I guess the number one “must have” tool is a small SHARP pair of titanium scissors.  I could not function without those!  My family members know they run the risk of being disinherited or never having me bake or do laundry for them again if they touch mine – seriously.  
Q: What inspires you most?
Pictures of ordinary, everyday events are what I find the most inspiring.  When I am old and senile, those are the memories I want to look at and read about. 
Q: What are some of your favorite colors to work with?
Oh, that changes on any given day – lol!  It’s fall right now, even if the weather isn’t co-operating here in Texas, so I have been gravitating more towards rust/oranges, gold and browns.  An all time favorite, though, is probably a white/green/blue combination – there is something so clean and fresh about it.
Q: What is your favorite type of embellishment?
Sewing – does that count?  I sew on my layouts and papers ALL THE TIME.  And if I am someplace without a sewing machine close by, I doodle on my project so that it looks like I’ve sewn on it!
Q: What other crafty things do you enjoy?
I love to sew, although it has taken a back seat to paper crafting.  I enjoy re-painting and occasionally re-purposing old pieces of furniture.  I am learning how to paint although that is a very s-l-o-w process for me as I just recently graduated past stick figures.  Most 5-year olds can draw and paint better than I!  But I enjoy it, and that’s what counts.
Q: What are some of your other hobbies and passions?
I love to read anything I can get my hands on, learn new recipes (especially baking), and travel.  And I always try to collect cookbooks from the different places I travel, which nicely ties together all three hobbies!  I am a nut about DIY and organization projects; I’ve got a list that will keep hubby and me busy for the next few years.  Also, decorating or re-decorating a room or a house (doesn’t matter whose it is) is guaranteed to put a big, fat smile on my face!  
I am such a fan of Lori’s work and am so excited to be on her team!  Seriously, my feet haven’t touched the ground yet!  I can’t wait to get to know everyone and to share my projects with you!

Check out this fabulous mini album Krissy designed using my Life is Good and For the Record paper along with the following shapes:

Design Team

First off, I would like to extend a HUGE “thank you” to the tremendous response to my design team call. I had some extremely talented ladies apply. And, I wish I could extend an invitation to all of you to be on the design team. I am seriously in awe of all your hard work, creativity and talent. And, PLEASE feel free to send me photos of your projects using my paper and shapes. I’m always on the lookout for cute projects to highlight and share.

I am so super proud to present to you the official Lori Whitlock Design Team!! These ladies ROCK and I’m beyond excited that they will be working with me! Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be featuring each one so you can get to know them better. But, for today, you can see who’s on the team and go explore their blogs. Can you tell I’m giddy??!!

Tamara Tripodi
http://happylifecraftywife.com/

Natalie Graham
http://mygrahamcrackers.blogspot.com

Corri Garza
http://www.buglvr.blogspot.com

Carolyn King
http://myblogbycammie.blogspot.com

Krissy Clark
http://krissyclarkmckee.blogspot.com

Joy Dickson
http://joyslife.com/

 

Christmas is Just Around the Corner

Did you know it’s only 59 days until Christmas? I know a lot of you are working on your Christmas cards and planning out your Christmas crafting projects, gifts, etc. I’ve been working on some Christmas cutting files for your crafting pleasure. They are available HERE. Check out the super cute Gingerbread House! This one took a while to engineer, but I’m really pleased with how it turned out. I have to say, a photo just doesn’t do it justice. It’s much cuter in person : ) And, incase you’re wondering, I used my Everybody Loves Christmas paper collection (published by Echo Park Paper).

I’ll be announcing the members of my brand new very first Design Team on Wednesday. So, keep an eye out!

Have a great day!!!

Apple Orchard

Carolyn King  sent this darling mini album to me the other day and I asked her if I could share it on my blog. Her mini album documents a fall trip to the apple orchard. And, what I love most about Carolyn’s album is that she used so many of my diecut shapes. The shapes she used are currently available in my Silhouette Online Store. If anyone has a different cutting machine and would like me to upload the SVG/DXF files to the Lori Whitlock Store, please contact me and let me know. I hope you enjoy Carolyn’s mini album. Leave her some love by commenting if you are inspired by her project. Have a great Friday!